Saylor turned 4.5 in July. She is very proud of that half and tells EVERYONE. Saylor is still so outgoing and talkative. She will tell anyone and everyone from people on an elevator to the middle of a restaurant how old she is, how old her brother is, our plans for the day, etc. etc. We have started to have more talks about talking to strangers and "reading people's body language" (not everyone is interested in talking to a kid)! The last time I brought this up she said, "but mommy, I LIKE taking to people!" Matt and I laugh that she is like both of her grandmothers in this way: she has never met a stranger. :) This is one of the things I love most about her, probably because I still find myself shy and quiet with strangers at the age of 32!
Other things Saylor is into these days include dressing up, dancing, and generally looking pretty. She likes to have her hair just right and she changes outfits several times a day most days (preferring only a twirly dress). She will be taking ballet again this year as we figured it was worth it since she "dances" around the house all day. She is in general still very theatrical and expressive. Perhaps she will be our budding thespian, who knows? She has gotten very confident in the water this summer and loves swimming as well.
Not surprisingly, she loves to be on the go and every night she asks me what the plan is for the next day. If I tell her we don't have a plan, she isn't happy. :) If I tell her the morning plan, she immediately says: "and then what will we do after that? and after that? and after that?" :) She is our social girl!
She hasn't napped in two years, but most days I still have her "rest" upstairs. She does ok but generally doesn't love this part of the day. She doesn't like to be alone and would prefer to hang out near me with whatever I am doing (talking to me). That being said, she is very imaginative in her play and games upstairs, usually involving a show or a ball or a mommy/kid storyline with her dolls and toys.
She is taking a lot of initiative in getting herself ready each day. Sometimes she lays out her clothes the night before without me prompting and often comes downstairs fully dressed with teeth and hair brushed. Every night she asks what time she can come downstairs and depending on the day, we tell her something between 7 and 7:30. I am not sure what time she actually wakes up but I think it's closer to 6:30 or 6:45 most days. She is exhausted by the end of the day and if we can we aim for a 7:30 bedtime.
She has recently started trying to read! She loves reading BOB books and now will attempt others as well. It is definitely a lot of memorization but she is also starting to sound out words on her own a lot of the time. I love it when she "reads" to Gray! :)
Things I love most about Say at this stage are her independence, her creativity, her silliness, how much she loves her family and friends. I love that (most of the time) we are past tantrums and bad behavior and she is just plain fun to be around. She asks the most inquisitive questions all the time. And she can be so very, very sweet. We still have a lot of conversations about using kind words and not being bossy, but she is coming along. :) I think she might have the sharpest memory of anyone I know.
Gray is 2 years and 3 months old. He has definitely gained some of the terrible two behavior, but he is still the sweetest little boy there ever was. I'm not sure if it's his temperament or the fact that he's our second, but it is nearly impossible to ever really be upset with him. :) He is talking SO much now! He has definitely had a language explosion, though he still doesn't have a lot of his "sounds" so it is not always easy for others to understand him. But even if Matt or Sayor or I don't understand him, he isn't phased by it. :)
Gray's favorite things are still trains and Toy Story. He also knows all the princess and enjoys playing with them. :) He loves TV and my ipad even more than his sister and he has recently been caught "sneaking" them. If he even sees my phone, he says: "mommy, tan i pay yo phone?" "no mommy, jus one minute" (holding up his index finger). Ha! He has started having some serious tantrums that are so out of nowhere it's hard not to laugh. He loves to play chase or tag and it melts my heart to hear him laugh during these games!
I never know what to expect from him in terms of eating. He will completely skip one meal and then chow down in another. He is not great at eating vegetables but he can be bribed for a dessert. He still takes apart a sandwich to eat only the meat or lick off the jelly, which is awesome. He absolutely LOVES chips and salsa just like his daddy. He has been known to go after a bowl of salsa with just his hands. He goes down at the same time as Saylor and wakes up a little after her. He recently has been on a bit of nap strike, and only truly naps about 50% of the time. He is doing fine in his big boy bed but has been "experimenting" with being in control of when he comes out of his room lately (sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes at 6:15 a.m., etc.). He still loves his lovey and blanket and carries them around in the morning or after nap time.
Gray does have some bad habits (or maybe they fall back on me?). He is super messy at meal time. It seems I am staining his clothes at least once every day. He also has recently taken an interest in his poop. If he goes too long without a diaper change he gets antsy and grabs a handful. I thought this lovely phase was over but it happened again recently, so I guess not. I try to stay on top of it, but I am not perfect with it. He has also told me several times lately that he "needs to go potty." I usually take him to sit there and nothing happens. "mommy, it not wortin (working)." I am getting the feeling we need to potty train him but I am just not there yet. He is trying to be very independent as well, for example he likes to get into the car and car seat ALL BY HIMSELF and loses his mind if you try to help him. This process take a very long time in the very hot August Texas weather. He is also very hot natured like his dad. Often if I check on him in a nap or at night he is completely soaked through with sweat!
It's so hard for me to believe that next month Gray will be the age Saylor was when he was born. He still seems like my little guy but I know he is growing up in so many ways. In general, Matt and I have been much easier on him. I think its' partly because he is less strong willed that his big sis and partly because we are more laid back about things this time around. If he is crying over something trivial and I ask him if he needs to go to time out, he prompting says yes and puts himself in it. This NEVER EVER happened with Saylor!
You could probably say G is a bit of mama's boy. He has recently been in a phase where he has preferred me over Matt big time, and it has not been fun for anyone. It lasted longer than I expected but it seems he is now coming out of it, thank goodness!
My favorite things about Gray right now are how sweet and cuddly he is. He loves to run and give huge crash hugs to me, Matt, or Say. I love how passionate and excited he can get about the tiniest things. I love hearing him talk and give a "recap" of the day. I love that he can play so independently by himself and then also loves to hang out with us. That he copies every little thing his sister does. He is a really smart little boy! I LOVE how he smells and how soft his skin is. There is absolutely nothing better than getting a big hug from him after his bath, or a sleepy hug when he first wakes up in the morning.
Both:
The BEST thing about this stage is how much our kiddos love each other. They love playing together! They spend a good part of each day coloring at the kitchen table together. Multiple times a day, they can be found playing either mama bear/baby bear or Ariel/King Triton. Their favorite spot to play is in our bathtub (fully dressed with no water), especially if I am in there getting ready. One day they showed me a game they made up in our bedroom called "tap tap ding ding." This game involved one person "tapping" and "dinging" on the lamp while the other person watched. Then they switched. It was the most hilarious and entertaining game to them! Saylor loves her brother and looks out for him so much. She loves getting to take care of him at the gym day care or at school. If he is ever sad she tries to help. Gray LOVES his big sister and follows her around and plays all her games (obviously as you can tell from aforementioned games)! Today Saylor told me she had to tuck gray in three times during his nap because he kept coming out looking for Buzz. They even have a routine that involves Gray sitting on a stool while Saylor goes #2 and she tells him stories. Ha! They can of course fight like the best of them. Scratches, screaming, chasing, yelling, and tears happen on both parts every day. I have recently started making them sit in time out together holding hands when they fight, which sometimes starts with them crying and ends with one of them lying in the other's lap, comforting each other!
Both of these kids are such amazing gifts from God to us. Both of them are so unique and special. I am amazed every single day that we get to be their parents. Of course we still have long days and I still lack patience every day. But in general, we are in a really fun phase right now. This year I will be home much more from work, and I am really looking forward to having a day just me and G and to be there after their school gets out to pick them up. At this time next year Saylor will be starting kindergarten! As always, I am aware that I need to savor every.single.moment.
